Overcome Craving & Addiction with Mindfulness | Dr Judson Brewer

Key wellness strategies, self-care techniques, and productivity ideas

1) Redefine mindfulness (practical, not mystical)

• Mindfulness = bringing awareness to your present-moment experience so you’re not “pushed or pulled” automatically by circumstances.
• It’s framed as a functional skill: awareness of what’s happening in the body and mind in real time.

2) Use awareness to override willpower (awareness “trumps” willpower)

Relying on willpower/resisting cravings often fails because:

• The prefrontal cortex (linked to willpower) is weak under stress.

Instead, practice awareness of the craving experience so the brain updates reward value rather than fighting urges through force.

3) Understand craving as a learned habit loop (trigger → behavior → reward)

Craving is described as part of a reward-based learning system:

• Trigger/cue (e.g., seeing food, social cues, stress)
• Behavior (e.g., eating, smoking, scrolling)
• Reward (dopamine signaling) that conditions the brain to anticipate the payoff later

Cravings often feel like restlessness/agitation, which is the body gearing up to act.

4) Don’t “resist”—use a different relationship with the craving

Research-backed strategy: shift from resisting to relaxing into awareness with curiosity.

What happens when you bring awareness:

• You notice the craving in detail (taste, body sensations, emotional urge)
• The brain’s reward value drops (e.g., smoking tastes worse when noticed; overeating feels less rewarding when watched closely)
• Space opens for a “bigger better offer.”

5) Practice curiosity as the “bigger better offer”

Replace the reflexive response (“I must do this to feel better”) with curiosity toward the experience of craving/anxiety.

Example technique:

• When anxiety/panic arises, respond with “Oh—interesting.”
• Curiosity changes the emotional momentum and reduces being pulled into the habit.

6) Short, structured mindfulness training (app-based)

Examples of effective “bite-sized” training include:

• 10 minutes a day for a month
• Modules that teach people to cultivate curiosity during cravings and recognize what the craving is offering them.

7) Map your habit loop to reduce helplessness

A practical starting point:

• Identify triggers (what sets the craving/anxiety/eating/drinking in motion)
• Identify what you get from it (the immediate “reward” or relief)

This reframes behavior as a conditioned learning process, not a character flaw—supporting self-kindness and clarity.

8) When cravings are “mindless,” use gentle mindfulness to regain choice

Common descriptions of addiction/compulsion:

• Not remembering the exact moment you started (automatic behavior)
• Eating/drinking to numb emotional pain

Caution:

• For trauma or strong emotional memories, mindfulness can sometimes intensify distress—work with a skilled clinician when appropriate.

9) Decouple yourself from thoughts and emotions

Mindfulness helps people see:

• Thoughts and emotions are events (“just a thought”), not commands.

Technique:

• Instead of pushing away discomfort, notice it (“this feels bad… what does that feel like?”)
• Use equanimity so you don’t automatically act on the old impulse.

10) Practical “start now” steps (actionable)

Begin with any evidence-based mindfulness training (or an app-based program). Then:

1. Track the craving/urge in the moment
2. Notice the trigger
3. Notice the reward you’re seeking (relief, stimulation, comfort, numbness, connection)
4. Use curiosity: “What is this craving like right now?”
5. Observe changes in how rewarding it feels once you’re aware

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Presenters / sources

• Dr. Judson Brewer (director of research and innovation, Mindfulness Center at Brown University; researcher and author of The Craving Mind)
• Katie (interviewer; Reiha Health)